In the “good old days” racers registered by snail mail and could wait until a month before the race. No more. You need to commit (i.e. pay) early.

This will be my 17th Leadville 100 mile race. Ten were on the bike and I’ve run six already. My goal is to finish 10 of each.

Last year I ran more miles before Leadville than ever before and it paid dividends with a faster finish and a quicker recovery. I’m hoping for more of the same this year.

I do have a new training partner Faygo, who’s pictured on the right. We’ve been building up her endurance, and yesterday was her longest run of 7 miles. That along with the Christmas craziness last night means she’s been in bed most of the today.

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• Leadville MTB 100 and Detroit Chicken Race photos
• Taping on toe nails
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My hopes have been answered.

The Heidelberg Project in Detroit is looking for old shoes. From their Facebook page:

Tyree Guyton is seeking donations of old shoes, in any condition, for an upcoming installation project.  Shoes can be brought to the Heidelberg Project office, 42 Watson, Detroit, MI 48201. General office hours are Mon-Fri 10am-5pm.  Collection continues through mid-to-late March

Whether you bring one shoe or many, you can also write a note about the life of the shoe(s) and what they meant to you.

Some of my shoes participated in the Leadville Trail 100 run, so I’ll make some notes on those.

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• Icy roads? No problem for biking and running

My winter bike has Nokian Extreme tires with steel carbide studs. They’re not needed all winter long, but they work great on icy roads.

And winter biking is often in low-light or darkness, which makes it difficult to see all of the icy spots.  The Nokians add a layer of confidence that if you do hit the ice, you won’t hit the deck.

For running, I’ve added 11 sheet metal screws to the tread of an old pair of Nikes. The screws are short enough to not poke through. So far I haven’t lost a screw but I sure have worn some down.

There still is a little bit of slippage with these shoes when pushing off hard on the ice. I think a few more screws in the lower-forefoot might solve that.

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• Heidelberg Project wants your old shoes
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The first photo gallery is the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. As support crew, I was able to snap photos of Michigan racers, including Team Mongo.

The second photo gallery is from Detroit’s first ever chicken races.

And this photo was taken in my car immediately after finishing this year’s  Leadville Trail 100 run. I put these bags of ice on my quads (which helps reduce inflammation) before napping for a few hours. After waking up, I hobbled a couple blocks over to the awards banquet. Next year I should get a room in Leadville so I can take a full-fledged ice bath.

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For those unfamiliar with the series, Robert takes attendance and awards points to each rider. The colder it is, the more points you get for that ride. Night rides get bonus points. You also get extra points if you’re on a singlespeed bicycle.

This points competition is a clever means to motivate cyclists to ride, especially in the worst of conditions (more points!).

All are welcomed, but be forewarned that the pace is generally brisk.

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